What Lies Beneath
by Mary-Ann
Summary: [SaitoTokio] [AU] In 2003, in Kyoto, police inspector Hajime Saito’s perfect life starts to fall apart the day he encounters the most difficult case of his successful career and meets a certain woman.
1. The day it all started

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Disclaimer: I do not own, in any way, Rurouni Kenshin. Watsuki-sama does. I'm only borrowing his characters for a while.

This is my new Saito/Tokio fic. I'm really proud of it and I really hope that you're going to enjoy reading it… But, be aware of the fact that it is going to be very different from The Choices we Make… 

It's a story set out in 2003 in Kyoto. I tried to transpose the characters and the RK main themes to 2003 while respecting as much as I could the original story's spirits. Of course, as 2003 is very different from the Meiji era, I had to change some things in the process (for example, no one carries swords around anymore; Kaoru and Misao are still going to college…)

Also note that I changed the actual political context of Japan a bit in order to fit the RK world better. I am aware that, unlike in this story, Japan has been living peaceful days for many, many years.

I'm still not a native English speaker… So, once again, if you see any grammatical mistakes, just try to do your best to ignore them as I'm doing my best to avoid them.

Enough with the talking. On with the story.

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Chapter 1 – The day it all started

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August 24th, Kyoto police headquarters

Police inspector Hajime Saito was sitting at his desk in his office. It was already past midnight, the moon was high in the sky, but he didn't even think of leaving: he had way too much work to even start envisaging such a thing…

The new case was more than complex. In fact, it was a pure nightmare. No one seemed to understand what was happening and why. The city was in a total state of chaos but, throughout all of this, he had to remain calm if he wanted to solve this. It was his job and he had to do it. But for now, he still didn't have a single clue…

It was the first time that Hajime Saito felt he wasn't in full control of the situation. Until now, his life had been very organised. Everything had been planned, planned, planned and re-planned. Once he made his mind about something, he simply went for it and always succeeded. 

That was how he had gone through his studies and that was how he had been admitted in the Kyoto police forces. Once there, he had only spent a few months giving away contraventions tickets before being promoted at a position in the second division of the police forces. Almost every policeman's dream. While divisions four to ten were only peacekeepers blindly applying the law, divisions one, two and three were in charge of the real business. Violent crimes, investigations on important criminal organisations and so on.

Soon, everyone acknowledged his talent for this delicate kind of work and he received promotion after promotion until he finally made it to the top: leader of the third division. As soon as he became in charge, he reengineered the way things were handled to gain efficiency. That effort hadn't been in vain: his troops soon learnt the exact meaning of the word success. After a few years of this regime, his division was always assigned to the most challenging cases, bypassing the privileges of the first and second divisions.

The rigorous way he managed his career as a cop was only equalled by the rigorous way he managed his personal life. In his house, not a single useless object. Everything was neat and symmetric. His wardrobe contained a clean police uniform for each day of the week. And, for his days off, which were almost non-existing, he had a few suits consisting of a navy blue pant, a navy blue jacket and a light blue shirt. Some had dared say that he had only removed the badges off older uniforms… But Saito Hajime was not a man who would wear older clothes…

He almost never drank. And when he did, it was always with great moderation. Practically always… He didn't like the twist his personality took in those rare occasions so he tried to avoid it: he despised loosing control and as a policeman, he preferred avoiding trouble. He could be rude and harsh when sober, but he didn't mind it then: he always meant it and his victims deserved it. 

He practically never invited anyone to his vast, but empty, apartment. Sometimes, a girl he barely knew would come for the night. But, he had decided long ago that he would never invite the same one twice and that none of his acquaintances would be informed of this. He had learnt his lesson with Sayuko, his college girlfriend and never again would he allow a nosy girl into his life.

As his short affairs could still be counted on the fingers of one hand, you couldn't really call this a vice. In fact, he was simply too busy working to take some that for that. But when he did have time, he could easily find a woman: most of them liked his style.

To sum up, Hajime Saito had, except forhis antisocial personality and sometimes rude behaviour, only one bad habit: smoking. He was so dependent of nicotine that you could almost even call cigarettes his weakness.

But, that was all behind him now. His career was falling apart and he was even starting to loose control of his personal life. And he could tell exactly when things had started to slip out of his hands. June twenty-fourth. Eleven o'clock in the evening. Two months ago. That was when the _case_ had officially begun and that was when he had met her: Tokio Takagi. 

And now, he was there, sitting behind his desk, not really knowing which new direction his investigations should take. It seemed like he had already searched this whole city and this whole country. He finally decided that a good night of sleep might be just what he needed. He picked up a few things and closed the lights of his office.

"Sir…" 

Someone was standing in the doorframe. In the dark, it was impossible to know who it was… Any guess was good…

"What do you want?" he asked, abruptly. He didn't really had no time to loose…

"I might have some important information for your case…"

***

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June 24th, two months earlier, the Aoiya…

Tokio Takagi was laying on the couch, simply appreciating being in Kyoto. She had spent five long years away from this city, away from this country. She had wanted to specializein psychology and, aware of the fact that getting to know other cultures was a great experience, she had decided to study in a foreign university. What was once supposed to take only four months had taken five years and now she was the proud owner of a Ph. D.

The only problem was that she still didn't exactly know what to do with that diploma… She could certainly teach at a local university, but she didn't really want to. Even if psychology had always been her main field of interest, she had never been really inclined to communicate with other human beings. She had studied merely out of curiosity, to get to know something she had never understood…

Tokio looked at her half-brother, busy with his paper work, at the other side of the room. Only a really attentive person could have guessed that Aoshi Shinomori and Tokio Takagi were blood related.

They had both inherited their mother's blue eyes, there were both tall and they both appreciated solitude, but that was all. The rest had come from their respective fathers.

Their family situation had always been a complicated one. Their mother had, in her youth, married Tokio's father. After a few happy years spent together, the cherished husband died in a tragic car accident, leaving his pregnant wife behind. Heartbroken, Tokio's mother was going from depression to depression when she met Aoshi's father. He was one of the best spies of an organisation secretly working for the Kyoto police forces: the Oniwabanshu. Within a year, they got married and Aoshi was born.

****

Everyone thought that this union would last for years and years, but fate decided otherwise. Aoshi's father mysteriously died on a mission. Very perturbed by this and already unstable, the tearful widow soon followed her husband in death, committing suicide. Aoshi was ten years old and Tokio was thirteen.

Time had passed and they had grown under the gentle eye of the Oniwabanshu. They had no other relatives…

They were now twenty-six and twenty-nine, but the painful memories were still fresh in their mind. They never mentioned it, but they knew it was there. It was the link between them. A strong link. They understood each other very well and they trusted each other judgement. Their close relation also allowed some teasing, mostly coming from Tokio.

"Do you still have a lot of paper work to do?" lazily asked Tokio, from the couch.

"No… That's the only advantage of business being almost non-existent…"

Contrarily to Tokio, Aoshi was working for the Oniwabanshu. But the organisation, which once had to refuse work engagements due to its full schedule, was now tranquilly dying of its own death… Times had changed. 

Twenty years ago, numerous crimes were reported every hour as a group of people were trying to destabilise the political regime of the country. After ten years of bloody events, a new regime, supposedly more peaceful, had come. But the crimes had continued for a while. During all of this, the Oniwabanshu had been absolutely essential to the Kyoto police forces. They were its eyes and they were feeling the pulse of the city. But tranquilly, things had finally settled down and peace had finally come. The Oniwabanshu was not essential anymore…

Tokio wasn't officially part of the Oniwabanshu, but she knew a lot about the organisation. She had been raised into it. Even as a little girl, she knew that its goal was to protect Kyoto. And Tokio, was one of the very few non-Oniwabanshu people who knew about this. Most people thought that they were only the managers of the Aoiya, a successful Kyoto restaurant. Only very influent people of the police forces were aware they were a little more than that… 

"Do we really have to go there, tonight?" asked Tokio, trying to refrain a yawn.

"Yes. We do. It's Misao's birthday. She's turning seventeen today. We can't miss this."

"But, you know how I dislike meeting people…"

"Tokio, we have to. We owe this to Makimachi-san. He took care of us; it's only fair that we take care of his granddaughter now that he left this world…"

"I guess so… But I still wish we didn't have to…"

Makimachi-san had been the Oniwabanshu's leader for a very long time… He had died while Tokio was out of the country. Aoshi had inherited the leading position but, as the business was already down, he had not inherited much…

His only real responsibility was to make sure that Misao was doing all right. She was studying at the _Kyoto's College for Girls _and was living on the campus. Tonight would be the first time in years that Tokio would see her…

***

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June 24th, half past ten in the evening

Tokio was sitting on the grass, not too far away from her brother, looking at the fireworks lightening the night sky. She was almost enjoying this moment. Almost… 

After three hours spent at a restaurant and two hours in the park, the constant blabbering of Misao and her friends was beginning to seriously get on her nerves. This was just too much for her. If they could only remain silent for a while…

Misao was a nice girl, no one could deny it, but she was loud and over-energetic. Her temper was constantly changing, without much warning. She had remained childish in the way she sometimes acted and thought. And, from what she had seen so far, her friends mostly behave the same way. Except for Megumi.

Tokio looked at the 23-years-old girl who was closely watching her younger sister, Kaoru. Tokio understood the protective feelings of the serious medicine student so well… Kaoru, a friend Misao had met in college, was just fooling around with her boyfriend, Kenshin Himura. A nice man who seem to really care for the girl but who was definitively too old for her. Way too old.

"That must be the final!" exclaimed an enthusiastic Misao.

She was right. The firework show was near its climax. Everyone almost stopped breathing while appreciating the last few minutes. And then, it was over. The night sky regained his habitual appearance. 

Misao, Kaoru and Kenshin kept talking happily for a while under the gaze of Megumi, Aoshi and Tokio. The crowd slowly began to leave the park. 

"So, I guess that this is it…" finally said Megumi, calling it a day.

Himura politely thanked everyone and left, without protesting. For a while, Tokio feared that things wouldn't be as easy with Misao, who was looking very disappointed. But, she didn't protest. Instead, she hugged an embarrassed Aoshi and wished him good night. She then, coolly thanked Tokio, who was very relieved to not receive the same treatment. And finally, she followed Megumi who had agreed on driving the two girls back to the college's dormitory.

And that was it. Tokio was now alone with Aoshi, finally able to fully appreciate the fresh air of the night. They both began to walk toward the Aoiya. After a minute of silence, Tokio burst out.

"How can you stand evenings like this one?"

"I grew used to it, I guess…"

"That's impossible! You can't grow used to such a noisy thing. Misao is a very pretty girl and she is charming, but…"

Tokio suddenly stopped talking to observe her half-brother. She had an intuition about this.

"You love her, don't you?" said Tokio, teasing.

"Of course not. I'm her official tutor." calmly replied Aoshi, unmoved.

"But, you love her anyway! _Romantic-boy_!"

****

Tokio thought that Aoshi wouldn't reply anything and just act like if nothing had been said. He always did that every time she teased him. But, surprisingly enough, this time was slightly different.

"Now I remember why I shouldn't have missed you, Tokio. The girl who has such a bad temper that she can't even keep the same boyfriend for more than two consecutive weeks…" 

Tokio was a bit shocked that he had dared to usethat touchy aspect of her life, but replied anyway.

"At least, I have a sex life. You can't really say the same…"

Aoshi looked at his sister, and shook his head.

"I wouldn't be proud of it Tokio… You're a void of real emotions. You lure men in your bed only to use their body. And, you discard them as soon as the relation starts to deepen…"

This time, Tokio remained silent. It was true… But that was all she could offer. They continued walking for a few more steps when loud screams disrupted the silence. Both Aoshi and Tokio turned around to check out what was happening. Not too far away from where they had sat only minutes ago, the crowd was acting hysterically.

"Something very wrong must have happened. We should go and see what it is. We could maybe help…" said Aoshi.

"Maybe…" slowly repeated Tokio, unsure about this.

Protesting was useless. Aoshi had already started running. Tokio sighed and followed. They soon reached the commotion spot. Aoshi was eager to help; Tokio was totally exhausted by the run. There were now so many people around that it was hard to see what was the cause of all of this.

While they tried to make their way into the crowd, Tokio noticed that some people were crying hysterically. This didn't look good at all. She was about to tell Aoshi that she preferred to leave when she bumped into him. He had suddenly stopped walking. She looked at him and noticed that he was blankly staring at something on the ground. Her eyes followed the direction of his gaze. At the sight, she shivered.

It wasn't the first time that Tokio saw a dead body. But this one was definitely not a good-looking one. A girl, who had probably not even reached her twenties, was lying on the grass. Her neck had been twisted and profound cuts marked her body. Tokio felt almost nauseous at the horrible sight.

"Aoshi… can we go now? There is nothing we can do about this."

"We can't do anything for the girl, but the murderer might still be somewhere around… We'll just stay here and observe. Maybe this could help the police."

Tokio sighed once again. It wasn't the first time she had saw the spy spirit taking control of the calm restaurant owner's body… She tried to ignore the dead corpse lying not too far away from them. She even tried to do her best to help Aoshi with the responsibility he was now willingly carrying on his shoulder. But all she could see was people weeping and sobbing.

Soon her eyes wandered again on the inert form. She looked once more at the girl and, for the first time, took the time to really examine her face. A pretty face she had seen somewhere, not too long ago, during the fireworks. The girl and her friends had been sitting right next to their own small group…

Tokio was about to report her discovery to her brother, but realising that he must already know, remained quiet instead. She looked around once more, and wondered when they would be able to leave the place. She was a bit relieved when she saw police cars slowly approaching. It was almost over.

A small and fat man got out of the first car. Obviously, he was the chief of the police district. They had been sent to watch over the scene of the crime until the special units arrived. 

The small police officer looked as if he was facing the highlight of his career. He happily bossed people around and made sure that no one would come near the body, jealously protecting the dead young girl. He was acting like a king in its kingdom.

But, unfortunately for him, it didn't last long. Other police cars were approaching. The special units were there…

"You can go now. We're taking over…" rudely commanded a tall policeman.

The small, chubby police officer looked really deceived at the fact that is hour of glory was already over… He sadly started heading toward his car and called his men back while the newcomer rapidly dispatched his own troops.

"I've never saw him before. Who is he?" asked Tokio, having the feeling that the newcomer had quite an important position and that Aoshi probably knew him.

"Hajime Saito. Leader of the third division of the Kyoto police forces. His nomination occurred just after you left the country. That is why you never heard of him before." answered Aoshi. 

"He can't be more than thirty-five… He was quite young for being nominated at such an important position…" 

"Yes. He had just turned thirty. He was so talented that they promoted him without further delay. Not too long after that, they also nominated another _young_ man at the head of the first division: Soushi Okita. They badly needed people like them at leading positions. I had the chance to work with them three or four times and I have to admit that they really deserve all they have."

As she had no more questions and as Aoshi didn't seemed to be about to move from where he stood, Tokio just silently watched Saito doing his job. He had already assigned every policeman present to a task and he was beginning to inspectthe scene of the crime. After examining the body, he started talking with the officer who had gathered all the visual witnesses. Finally aware of the fact that someone had been closely watching him, he turned around to see who it was. 

Tokio and Saito's eyes met briefly, but the sight of Aoshi, standing right next to her, almost immediately caught Saito's attention. Both men acknowledged each other's presence with a little head bow. Then, Saito headed toward their way.

"Have you witnessed anything useful for us, Shinomori?"

"No. We were at the other end of the park when it happened. We arrived too late…"

"Then, join the club. According to what we know so far, everyone here just heard her scream… When they turned around, she was already dead and the murderer gone…"

"But the place was crowded with people… It's seems almost impossible that no one saw anything."

"Yes, but it is the case. Anyway…"

Saito stopped and looked sideways at Tokio. Aoshi guessed what his silent question was and promptly reassured him.

"It's alright. This is Tokio Takagi, my sister. Half-sister to be more precise. She knows about the Oniwabanshu."

Tokio smiled politely at Saito, but he did not answered, too absorbed by the business he was trying to conclude with Aoshi.

"Anyway, as I was going to say, we will search in the girl's past to see if we can find anything there. In the meantime, try to remember anything you might have witnessed tonight. I'll come to the Aoiya in a few days to see where you're at…"

"That's alright with me…"

"Well then, see you there."

Saito walked away to return to his business. Tokio looked at him for a while, impressed by the man's determination and strength but not too pleased with his rude behaviour. Exactly the kind of man she would have gladly welcomed in her bed. Then, she looked at Aoshi who was silently contemplating the sky.

"Why did you give him your agreement on that? We both know that we won't have anything more to tell him in a few days. No matter how hard we could try to remember, we just can't find anything. We were not there…"

"I know… But, do you realise that this might be our chance to get back in business? The more I see Saito, the more closely I follow this case, the more likely he is to ask for our help. And we badly need some work. For both our moral and our financial situation."

"Evil man…" replied Tokio, mocking her brother…

"Not that evil. I'm just trying my luck…"

To be continued…

Very, very, very special thanks to Kamorgana. Your constant support and your advice help me during this whole writing process. Sometimes, I would be lost without you. ^-^

Also, thanks to Firuze Khanume. Your comments helped me in a time I was beginning to doubt what I was writing. I appreciated it. ^-^

One last thing, there is no link between this fic and the movie _What Lies Beneath_. It's just that the title fits my plot. That's all…

À la prochaine,

Mary-Ann


	2. On the road to perdition

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Disclaimer: I do not own, in any way, Rurouni Kenshin. Watsuki-sama does. I'm only borrowing his characters for a while.

Special thanks to Kamorgana who gave me useful comments while pre-reading this chapter. Also, I want to thank Firuze Khanume for her support. 

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Chapter 2 – On the road to perdition

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June 25th, the morning after

Tokio was looking to the morning life of the city throughout the Aoiya's windows. Everything seemed to be just like yesterday. As if nothing at all had happened in the park last night. The passers-by didn't seem to care about the coldly murdered girl. They were fed up with this kind of stories. 

But having seen the body, Tokio was unable to forget so easily. Today, she was really happy to be a loner: like that she avoided meeting sick murderers… She absolutely couldn't understand murderers. She could have tried to find the answers in her psychology books, but she doubted that there would be a satisfying explanation for this kind of behaviour. And, after all, she wasn't specialised in criminal psychology.

She looked at Aoshi, once again busy with his paperwork. He didn't seem perturbed at all by what had happened the night before. But he was never perturbed. He had seen so many crimes, had witnessed so much evil that he knew better than to be affected. Maybe he had some answers…

"Aoshi…?"

"Hmmm…"

"Do you have an idea why someone would violently kill a teenage girl?"

Aoshi raised his head and answered his sister's question.

"You know, Tokio, streets are filled with crazy people. Their minds work in a strange and absurd way. They don't think rationally like you and I would. They overreact, they get furious or paranoid. And someday, they completely loose control of their minds… Last night, there are a lot of chances that a jealous lover simply killed his girlfriend."

"Maybe… At least, that proves my point. Avoid human contacts and you'll stay out of trouble…"

Aoshi looked at his sister for a while. A deep feeling of understanding passed between the two of them. They both preferred loneliness. Not for the same reasons, but still, they could comprehend the other's point of view.

"I'm deeply sorry, Tokio, but I think that you'll have to put those life principles aside for a while…" said Aoshi, after a long silence.

"What do you mean?" she answered, already on her guards.

"Nanami, the girl who works at the Aoiya's front desk, will be absent for a week. I need a replacement."

Tokio almost choked as she heard these words. She finally answered, with a touch of despair and indignation in her voice.

"And you chose me?"

"Well, who else? And besides, I hope you realise that as you are not working right now, you are living here for free. Maybe it's time you start doing your share…"

"And what would I have to do?" asked Tokio, now resigned.

"Be the receptionist. You stay at the front desk, you welcome the customers, you assign them to a table and you take the reservations. If the restaurant is crowded with people and the waiters just can keep up with the commands, you'll have to give them a hand."

"Anything else?" asked Tokio, thinking that it was already way too much.

"Well, now that you mention it… If that police inspector, Hajime Saito, ever shows up, buzz me right away. Then, lead him to the private tea room. Stay with us. If he ever wants us to work for him, you'll make him fill the files…" 

"And who is going take care of the restaurant during that time?"

"I'll take dispositions as soon as you leave my office."

Tokio remained silent for a while, thinking. Aoshi really wanted a job assignment badly and she could understand why so easily. There was still so much activity in the spying business when she had left the country. But now… In the few weeks that she had spent here, nothing had happened. Nothing. It was just normal that he prepared Saito's visit and…

"Tell me, Nanami didn't really call off for the week…"

"No. You are right. I was the one who called her off. You see, Nanami doesn't know anything about the Oniwabanshu's organisation. She's just a girl I hired a few months ago, after some of the original staff quit. I still haven't decided if I can trust her or not. So, in the meantime, I better keep her out of the way when it's time for serious business…"

"Oh! I see. But I hope that you'll come to trust her soon. I wouldn't like having to do her job on a regular basis…. When do I start exactly?"

"Now. The first clients will start arriving in less than an hour."

"Better get ready then…"

Tokio got up to leave the room, not really happy about all of this but realising that she had to help. She was, indeed, not really doing her share. As she reached the door, Aoshi's voice stopped her.

"Try to be kind with people for once. They won't bite you, you know… And besides, I wouldn't appreciate it if your bad temper discouraged my clients from coming back… "

"Very funny! You just had to hire someone else if you were to complain that much…" said Tokio abruptly, before leaving the room.

***

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June 25th, early afternoon

Working at the restaurant was a painful experience for Tokio. Smiling to everyone. Chatting with people while she led them to their table. So unlike her… But she had to. Aoshi was right; she couldn't frighten clients with her lousy attitude.

The restaurant was a success. There was no doubt about it. It was always full. People enjoyed coming here. They loved the atmosphere, the food and the cheap prices. Mostly the cheap prices. In fact, Tokio thought that it was the only reason why the place was always crowded. 

But now that lunchtime was finished, the Aoiya was almost silent again. Only a few customers were still at their tables, chatting or reading the newspaper. The rush hour was over. Tokio sighed with contentment. She would now be able to take a few hours off before people showed up for the evening meal. 

She really needed those few hours. While she was working in the noisy crowd, her mind had been loudly screaming, protesting. She would have felt so much better if she could have escaped this and join the calmness of the second floor…

She sat near a window, in a dark corner of the restaurant. She pulled her cigarette pack out of her pocket and lit one. She didn't smoke very often. Only when she badly needed to relax. Like yesterday, after the events in the park…

Once she finished her cigarette, she immediately lit a second one, prolonging the pleasure. She always enjoyed the little ritual she had developed over the years. Outside, nothing existed anymore. She closed her eyes and forgot about the morning commotion and about the unpleasant task she would soon have to perform again.

Finally, she slowly opened her eyes and looked by the window, almost unaware of what she was seeing. Cars, delivery trucks and some cyclists. A merchant was opening his shop on the other side of the street. A little boy was stumbling and violently falling on his knees. Two college girls were coming toward the Aoiya. One with a long braid and the other one with a high ponytail.

Registering the last sight, Tokio stopped daydreaming. It wasMisao and her friend Kaoru. She'd better check what they wanted…

She got up and walked toward the main door. She reached the front desk just as the two girls came in.

"Tokio… Is it true? Were you there…?" asked Misao, looking a little concerned.

"What?"

"The murder. Is it true that it happened near where we were last night? Did you saw it happening?"

"Yes, it's true. But no, I didn't see it. We had almost left the park when it occurred. And when we came back to check what was going on, we only saw the dead body…"

"Oh! It so it is true… If we had still been there when it occurred, we could have help. We could have witness something important."

Tokio looked desperately at the two young girls. When they had came in, she had thought that they would panic. But no, they were only willing to do something to help. It was true that Misao had always wanted to be one of the Oniwabanshu. But she was still too young and inexperienced for that. She was unaware of potential dangers and this was a dangerous job. And she shouldn't have led her friend in that path…

"Girls, you couldn't have help. And, as I told you, Aoshi and I haven't witness anything at all." Tokio finally said, wishing that they would understand and leave her in alone. "And now that I come to think of it, aren't you both supposed to have classes right now?"

"Yes, but we really had to find out about this. So we took a longer lunch break and came here." pleaded a guilty Misao.

"Why not simply call? Phones do exist, you know. You wouldn't have missed your classes…"

The girls suddenly looked very embarrassed and confused. 

"We… we haven't thought about that before…"

Of course they haven't thought about that, sighed Tokio. Those girls really needed brains… Maybe that, with years, they would learn a few things. It would help. But right now, they still knew nothing about real life. They were living practically cloistered in an all girls' college. …

"Well, remember it next time" said Tokio sharply, wishing that there wouldn't be a next time.

The girls didn't need to be told twice. They had realised that Tokio's mood had seen better days… But as soon as they were outside, Misao couldn't refrain the need to come back in. Alone.

"Tokio…?"

"Yes Misao." answered Tokio, a bit discouraged.

"As Aoshi was there last night, do you think that he'll work on the case?"

"I don't know… He hopes so, but it isn't his decision."

"Oh! I see…"

The girl then turned around to finally leave the place. But before she went out, Tokio made a last rude comment.

"Misao, I hope that you are discrete about those things when you are with your friends…"

"Yes, of course. I can keep a secret, you know." said Misao honestly.

"Good."

Tokio stared at the door for a while, appreciating the quietness of the room. Then, she took a quick glance at her reservation book, to check when the first clients would arrive, and she was happy to discover that it would not be before another three hours. She would need it. 

"You shouldn't be so harsh on them, Tokio."

She turned around to discover that Aoshi had witnessed the whole scene, from a dark corner of the hall.

"I'm not harsh. I'm realistic."

"You know, those girls could surprise you one day. They make mistakes, like you did when you were young. But they are definitely cleverer than you think…"

***

June 29th, four days later, in the evening

A few days had passed since the murder. Newspapers had found new subjects to talk about. Everyone had seemed to forget that it had ever happened. Inspector Hajime Saito didn't even came to see them at the Aoiya. Aoshi had practically lost the hope of a visit. Solving the case was probably too easy to require his help. 

Tokio would soon be able to stop working in the restaurant. Still two days and it would be over. It would be three long and unpleasant days, but somehow, she had grown almost used to this routine. She still needed her cigarette break in the middle of the afternoon to relax, but her work hours were not as tiring as they used to be.

She hoped that the last customers would soon leave. If she were running the place, she would have put a bit of pressure. But Aoshi was the one in charge and he would not have appreciated it. 

She looked down at the pile of bills on her desk and she started to calculate the evening incomes. What she had found out during the last days troubled her very much. Guessing what amount of money was needed to run this place, and now fully aware of the incomes, she had started suspecting that the Aoiya was in deficit. She had checked last year's expenses in the files and, assuming that the situation was still the same this year, the restaurant was clearly loosing money. A couple of hundreds every day… At the end of the year, it made a considerable amount of money…

Yes, the place was always crowded, but in the end, it didn't make much difference.

Tokio looked at the night's results and sighed. Still another night without profit... She wondered for how long things had been this way. As she stared cleaning the front desk, a man came in the Aoiya. He was preceded by a strong cigarette smell.

"I'm sorry, sir. We are about to close. We are taking no more customers for the night." she said, without looking up.

She just went on cleaning the desk. As the man didn't move, she finally looked up, wondering if he was deaf... But instead of the insistent customer she expected to see, her eyes met those of Hajime Saito.

"I'm sorry, inspector… I had not realised that it was you." said Tokio, pressing the hidden buzzer in order to warn Aoshi.

"It's ok. You are Tokio Takagi, right?"

"Yes. That's correct."

Tokio was quite impressed by the man's memory. She had thought that he had barely paid attention to her… She had been wrong. And if the inspector's bored expression hadn't been so uninviting, she could have sworn that there was a touch of interest in his eyes. But it was probably just an illusion.

"I'll take you to the private tea room. You will be able to talk freely there. You won't be disturbed."

Just as they walked away, Tokio noticed Shiro, one of the Oniwabanshu, coming to take over her job at the front desk. Yes, Aoshi had really planned everything…

They reached the designated room and entered. Aoshi was already there, looking like he had spent the whole day in the room. He had probably used the service stairs in a hurry. 

"Saito-san… What a pleasure to see you. Please sit down." said Aoshi, while showing the example.

As Tokio closed the shouji, she observed the two tall men. Both were physically in shape, were calm and knew exactly what they wanted. They were both at the head of an organisation and, as far as she knew, had both devoted their life to their ideals of justice. But the comparison ended there. One had the power while the other one was vulnerable. One was at the highest point of his career while the other one was at the lowest point. One looked damned sexy in a bad-guy way while the other one looked charming in a more refined way…

"So, Shinomori, did you or Takagi remembered anything special about the other night?"

"Unfortunately, no. But we had the chance to observe the girl's small group of friends during the firework. So, I have a good idea of what kind of relation there was among them. Maybe that could help you…"

"Maybe…" answered Saito, evasively. 

As she sat down beside her half-brother, Tokio noticed that he seemed disappointed by Aoshi's answer … He did not clearly show it, but a small frown had appeared on his forehead. He had been hoping for something else. 

The discussion began; under Tokio's attentive ears.

"Was your investigation successful until now?" asked Aoshi.

"No, it wasn't. As we feared, no one witnessed anything at all. We got the analysis the lab performed on the corpse today, but it doesn't help us much."

"How come?" 

"Well, they confirmed that the girl was stabbed with a sharp object, like a knife. But that wasn't the cause of her death. She died when her neck was broken. Was it voluntarily or did it occur while she fell on the ground? No one can say it for sure."

"And the other results…?"

"There are no other results… Well, yes there is: they found nothing. That is the result. The murderer left absolutely no trace. So we can't perform DNA analysis or anything like that."

"That's rare."

"Yes. Two possibilities could explain that. One, the killer is damn good and he is used to this sort of things. Two, he's just a lucky guy…"

There was a short silence during which both men thought about the latter possibility.

"You said that the murderer might just be a lucky guy. So, it's a man?"

"Probably. That killing required quite an amount of strength. Only a few women would have been able to do it. And also, according to the specialists in the domain, women usually don't use that kind of violent technique: they prefer poison or things like that. So, there are good chances that our killer is a man and not a woman."

"According to you, what could be the cause of this?"

"No idea. The relatives we questioned could not point out one single reason why that girl could have been murdered. Her love life had been calm and steady. Her friends seem all respectable to me. And her family honour can difficulty be doubted."

"And who is that girl exactly?"

"A seventeen years-old college student. She got good grades at school and her teachers all appreciated her. She was popular and she was president of her class. She came from a wealthy family. Two younger brothers, no sister. The parents are still living together. Everyone looked very affected by her death. As far as we know, she never took drugs and had absolutely no money problems. She's just a normal little Miss Perfect."

"There might be some skeletons in her closet…"

"Maybe… But if it's the case, they are hidden very well."

There was another pause during which both men glared at each other. Saito had said all he had to say. The ball was now in Aoshi's court.

"And what do you want from us exactly?" asked Aoshi, finally getting to the point.

"I need people who would discretely observe every movement in the parents' house. Just in case. To be sure. Could one of your men do it?"

"Yes, absolutely."

"Now, tell me what you witnessed the other night…"

Aoshi started telling the few facts he had witnessed. Who was there that night. Who talked with whom. Who didn't seem to be in good term with whom. Tokio was surprised that he had noticed so many things, but after all, he was a spy. 

Finally finished with his story, which didn't seem to interest Saito much, Aoshi got up to leave the room.

"Saito-san, it was a pleasure to see you here. We'll do our best to help you in your investigation. Tokio will make you fill the usual papers."

He left the room, leaving them alone. Tokio looked at the tall man sitting in front of her for a while. His strange amber eyes were shinning strangely under her gaze. He was amused by her presence. A mocking smile slowly appeared on his thin lips as he lit a cigarette. Tokio liked what she was seeing. He wasn't trying to be nice. He was just being himself. Rude, direct. And she liked it.

She observed the pile of papers that Aoshi had left right in front of her and started searching for the right form.

"So… What do you need exactly, inspector?"

"A man, twenty-four hours a day, in front of that house."

"For how long?"

"We'll start with a week and then, we'll see."

Tokio filled the spaces in silence while Saito observed her, smoking.

"I'll need your signature here, there and here." she said finally.

She observed him while he filled the designated spaces. He had a precise handwriting showing his strong will and his determination. Having finished, he stood up. She did the same and they faced each other for a while.

Tokio was beginning to really appreciate the man… She had seen him take control of the situation the other night. She had now witnessed how he handled business. She liked it. He went right to the point and only provided the needed information. He seemed to be strong minded and judgmental. And, he was definitely damned sexy.

She hesitated for a while. She was certain that Aoshi wouldn't appreciate it if she began messing with one of his business contacts… But it was so tempting. And she knew that he wouldn't refuse: the interest she had noticed in his eyes earlier was back. This time, it couldn't be just an illusion… He was just good at hiding his pulsions.

"I'll have to wish you a good night, inspector. Unless…" she said as she delicately grabbed the lapel of his jacket, in the most tempting manner.

He tensed. He had vaguely hoped for this, but he was unprepared for this sort of proposition. Her attitude was bold, unusual for a woman, but he liked it. Also, the girl was pretty. He had been attracted to her from the first moment he had seen her. 

However, she was Shinomori's sister so he might have to see her again and that was a point against it. But a woman willing to give herself to him, without further presentation was so tempting. He was used to hunt, not to be hunted. And it had been so long since last time… He slowly began to give in her little game, thinking that, as the case would soon be solved, he probably wouldn't even have to come back to the Aoiya.

They soon got carried away, forgetting any concept of modesty. They used each other's body and followed their sexual urges. But never their mouths met. A intense physical relation between two heartless persons…

All of her life, Tokio's relations had began like that. A meeting, a need for passion, followed by a short-lived relationship. It would probably end that way this time also. But she didn't care. Right now, she wanted him badly and he wanted her. That was all that mattered.

To be continued…

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Author's comments

Tokio's opinion on Misao and Kaoru is not mine. In fact, Misao is one of my favourite characters. And, as Aoshi pointed out, they might have more brain than what she thinks.

About Saito's reaction: I already mentioned in chapter 1 that Saito sometimes spends the night with a girl. He never calls them back as he doesn't want anyone to invade his privacy. This time is not different. He thinks that getting rid of Tokio will be easy as, once the case will be solved, he won't have to go to the Aoiya anymore. Only, he is not aware of the fact that solving the case might take longer than he thinks…

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To the reviewers

Special thanks to Aiteane, Kamorgana, External Darkness, Kakashi-fan, DustyFall, Lalalalala, Wolf of Mibu, L. Sith, Firuze Khanume and Yu**~**ki**~**ko, who took the time to review this story. (^-^)

À la prochaine,

Mary-Ann


	3. The second disturbance

****

Disclaimer: I do not own, in any way, Rurouni Kenshin. Watsuki-sama does. I'm only borrowing his characters for a while.

All my gratitude to Kamorgana, for her wise comments and corrections. Also, I want to thank Firuze Khanume, for her kind comments about this chapter.

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Chapter 3 – The second disturbance

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June 30th, in the morning.

Hajime Saito woke up at the habitual hour thenext morning. Feeling a weight on his torso, he slightly raised his head from the floor to see the cause of this. Oh yes, Tokio Takagi. Shinomori's sister. 

He had enjoyed last night very much. It had been a relief after more than a year of abstinence. His work had just been too exigent to let him time to fulfill those basic needs. And Takagi was definitely not a novice in bed, he thought, remembering the nail marks still burning the flesh of his back… 

He looked at the sleeping form right next to him for a while. Even if he had enjoyed last night, he would remain true to his words: he would not call her back. He wished to leave the place without further delay before the girl woke up, but he couldn't. In her sleep, she was clinging to him. Frowning, he said, without any tact.

"Takagi, move your ass. I want to get up."

At the rude command, Tokio slowly opened her eyes and, meeting a pair of hostile amber ones, she obeyed, now totally awaked.

Saito got up and began to look for his dispersed clothes while Tokio did the same thing. Casting sideways glances in her direction, he reflected that the girl had been really worth it. She had a well-defined body, she was tall, she had the most incredible pair of legs he had ever seen and she was, in a way, unique. But it didn't really mattered now. He still had to dismiss her.

"I hope you don't think I'll call you back. Because I won't." he said, sharply.

"It's okay." she simply answered, not paying him much attention.

Saito was a bit surprised. He was used to encounter a little bit more resistance.

"We'll have to see each other occasionally anyway if I work with Shinomori. I hope you will be discrete about this."

"Yes, sure." answered Tokio, zipping her skirt.

She finally turned around to look at him while he put his jacket on. Once finished he hesitated for a while. The girl seemed to have brain, but had she really understood his words?

"Well then, I'll leave."

"Okay."

Saito left the private tea room, hours after he had first come in. A strong feeling of uneasiness was slowly submerging him. That had been too easy. He should have been happy, but he couldn't. He was under the impression that something very wrong was about to happen to him.

***

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July 1st, the Aoiya.

"Aoshi…" slowly began Tokio.

Aoshi stopped filling last night investigation report and questioningly looked at his sister standing in the doorframe.

"Hum?"

"Our financial situation… It's worst than what you first admitted, isn't it? We are running directly toward bankruptcy." said Tokio as she closed the door behind her.

Aoshi leaned back on his chair and blankly stared at the ceiling for a while. Tokio was too clever to be fooled. Yes, they were running directly toward bankruptcy. Another few months and it would all be over. 

"Yes." he answered, simply.

"How bad is it exactly?"

"Well, I suggest that you start searching for a job and for an apartment now…"

"More precisely…?"

"It's a total disaster. In order to be able to fill the restaurant every night, we have to offer prices bellow the ones the Shirobeko offers. But like that, the restaurant's incomes can't cover our expenses. It was never a problem before, as the Oniwabanshu's incomes could cover the difference. But it's not the case anymore: the spying business is almost dead."

"How long can we go on like this?"

"At the actual rate, I think that we'll be able to survive four months before running completely out of resources. My predecessor managed to put a considerable amount of money aside. But during the last two years, it completely vanished."

"You can't cut on the expenses?"

"Believe me, I already suppressed everything that wasn't totally vital. We only have to pay for the taxes, the building reparations, the food we serve, the staff salaries, the salaries of the four remaining spies, my personal expenses, Misao's expenses and now, we also have to cover yours."

"And you absolutely can't ask for higher prices at the restaurant?"

"No. I tried it and practically no one came anymore. We are not in the right district for that."

"How can the Shirobeko survive then?"

"Simple: they don't have someone named Misao at their charge and they don't have to pay for spies' salaries."

"So, that is why you're looking forward to job assignments for the police?"

"Yes. Some work for the police is the only thing that could save us now. But you see, even the work Saito gave us two nights ago can't do much for us. It will only allow us to survive a few days more. We need something bigger than that."

"What are you going to do, then?"

"Well, there are two options. First, I could dissolve the Oniwabanshu. Like that, I could save on salaries. It could slow down our fall. But we would fall anyway one day or another, as our expenses would still exceed our incomes. And besides, if I dissolve the Oniwabanshu, I'll sabotage our only chance to survive as we wouldn't be able to work for the police anymore…"

"And the other option?" asked Tokio expectantly as Aoshi paused.

"The second option isn't really one. The second option is to do nothing but wait. Then, once we run completely out of money, we sell the Aoiya and buy a smaller restaurant in a better district."

"And what would you do with the Oniwabanshu in that option?"

"I don't really know. I don't really like the idea of having to dissolve the group. But if I don't and if the spying business isn't going any better, we will run directly toward disaster once more."

"And Misao?"

"Whatever happens, I'll have to pay for her studies… She needs me."

They both remained silent for a while, thinking of the dark future awaiting them.

"Did you tell anyone about this?"

"No. I think that I'll keep hoping until the end."

"I understand."

"And also, when they began to suspect that the business was going down, some members left. Beshimi… Hyottoko… Shikijo… Hannya… So, I'd better not officially announce the news to the other ones. They might as well begin finding jobs elsewhere…"

"Oh! I see."

Tokio nervously lit a cigarette. She suddenly felt like if she needed nicotine badly.

"Did you know that they were coming tonight?" asked Aoshi.

"Who?"

"Misao, Kaoru, Megumi and Kenshin. They will eat at the restaurant. Normally, I would have given you your evening off so that you could have joined us. After all, it's your last evening at the Aoiya. But I kind of guessed that you would still prefer working than eating with us…"

"You guessed very well…"

***

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July 1st, seven o'clock in the evening.

Tokio was busy, working. From time to time, she would cast sideways glances toward the small group chatting vividly and realised the luck she had not to be there. The girls' lively conversation would have been way too much for her poor nervous system to endure.

Of course, she could have smoked, to evacuate the stress a bit. But the full pack of cigarettes she had with her would probably not even have been sufficient to go through the entire evening.

She tried to ignore the high-pitched voices as the phone rang. It always rang. People were trying to make reservation for the night or for the next day. She began filling the reservation book when she suddenly felt closely watched.

She looked up to discover Megumi standing right in front of her. She was even leaning on the front desk. Apparently, she wanted to have a small discussion with her.

"Yes, Meg…?"

She had spoken as kindly as she could, remembering that, in the park, she had understood the girl's feelings. And that she hadn't got on her nerves like the three others had.

"Is it true that the girls missed classes the other day to come here?" sharply asked the other girl.

"Yes, but I sent them back to college as soon as I could. They had just found out about that girl's murder and they thought that they could have helped." answered Tokio, as she finished filling the reservation book.

"You did the right thing. They often act too fast and are unaware of potential sources of danger. And, as both have no parents, we have to do our best to look after them."

"You are worried about the relation between Kaoru and Himura?"

"I don't think that a relation between a seventeen year old girl and a twenty-eight year old man is very appropriate…" Megumi shortly answered.

Megumi paused and looked in the red-hair man's direction. He was chatting and laughing with the two girls. The complicity between the three of them was evident. But, as Meg had pointed out, he was twenty-eight years old…

"What is he doing in life?" asked Tokio.

"He is working in a community centre in the district where he lives. He is really good hearted and he loves helping people. He personally had a couple of problems in life. He spent ten years in a rehabilitation centre after his girlfriend died… He is feeling better now, hopefully

"But I guess that you would prefer it if he had stayed a bit longer in the health centre and hadn't met your little sister…"

Megumi's eyes widened as the thoughts she had been trying to banish over the last few weeks were suddenly brought to light.

"I don't really wish him any harm…" she started.

"I know, I think I understand how you feel… And don't worry, I don't like gossiping much: as far as I'm concerned, we only talked about the weather."

"Thank you." answered Megumi before proudly regaining her seat between Kaoru and Himura.

Tokio looked at her for a while. Yes, that girl was probably one of the few human beings that didn't get on her nerves…

***

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July 1st, nine o'clock in the evening

"How was business today?" asked Aoshi to Tokio.

Misao and her friends had left the now empty restaurant only a few minutes ago.

"Not too bad. We managed to make a small profit for the first time this week. For that, we can only thank the man who ordered an expensive bottle of wine."

Brother and sister silently stared at each other for a while, thinking.

"What did Megumi want?" finally asked Aoshi.

"Small chat about the current weather."

"No, really… What did she want?"

"She's worried for Kaoru." Answered Tokio, knowing that until she spitted it out, she wouldn't hear the end of this story. And after all, mentioning this to Aoshi was gossiping: he was silent as a grave.

"Himura, I guess. There was a lot of animosity in the air." deduced Aoshi. "But I don't really see why she's that worried about Himura. He's fine with me. He treats the girl with respect…" began Aoshi before being interrupted by Tokio. 

"Of course, we can't expect you to understand what is wrong in a relation between a mature man and a college student! You have some experiences in the domain…" 

"I don't have any experiences in that domain." answered coolly Aoshi. His way of protesting.

"We'll call it hopes, then…"

"You really won't leave me alone with that?" he said, with a touch of annoyance in his voice.

"Of course not! It's rare that I can find something to nag you about. So I certainly won't miss this opportunity."

Tokio looked at her half-brother and laugh. A wrinkle had appeared on his forehead. The subject must be a very touchy one…

"Anyway… Will you help me close the restaurant for the night, _romantic-boy_?"

"If you stop calling me that, yes I will."

Tokio faked hesitation for a while and then said.

"We have a deal."

They both began cleaning the tables, in silence. After what seemed to be an eternity, they were done. Aoshi went to his room while Tokio locked the doors and closed the lights.

She looked outside for a while. It was the hour of the day she preferred. Everything was calm, the city was already asleep. She sat down near the window and lit a cigarette to fully enjoy the moment. Tomorrow, Nanami would be back at work. She wouldn't have to host anymore. She would be free to do whatever she wanted with her days.

She was more tired than she thought she was. She slowly slipped into sleep.

And it wasn't a peaceful sleep. Until then, the murder of the other day had not affected her imagination much. Of course, she was wondering who had done it and why, but it was the first time that she had nightmares about the inert body sinisterly laying on the ground. In her sleep, she could still hear the screams of fear. She could see distinctly the girl's hysteric friends crying. And, mostly, she could remember the girl's body. She was seeing it now, and in her dreams, the girl's eyes were fixing her. Like if she wanted to tell her something. 

Tokio woke up abruptly. Her head was spinning and she had perspired heavily during her sleep. She got up, on still shaky legs to get a cold glass of water.

She took a few steps toward the restaurant's kitchen but was stopped in her attempt by a fearful cry that sent a shiver down through her spine. Remembering more vividly than ever the events of the park, she ran directly toward the window to check what was happening.

There, in the middle of the deserted street laid an inert body. For a while, she believed that she was still dreaming. She blinked her eyes once or twice, but the body was still there.

In the buildings near by, lights began to be lighted as people began to react.

Her heart almost missed a beat when Aoshi spoke. He was now standing next to her, but she hadn't realised it before.

"Did you saw anything?" he questioned on a neutral tone, as if nothing really special had happened.

"No… I looked out and the body was already there. No one was around."

She observed her brother as he unlocked the door. He seemed to know exactly what to do. She followed him without hesitation as he started running in the street, to see if something could still be done. Other people were also begining to fill the street. In the growing commotion, Aoshi knelt down beside the body and searched for a pulse. But it was already too late…

It was another young girl. Tokio recognised immediately the savage cuts that had been on the first corpse. No other apparent injuries had been caused to the poor girl.

Tokio looked at the unknown girl for a while. She was beginning to feel a bit nauseous, but she couldn't stop fixing the girl's face. Her eyes, still wide opened with fear, were looking directly at her. Exactly like in her dream.

"It's alright…" murmured Aoshi, who had noticed his sister's apparent distress.

He had understood her, as always. He put his arm around her trembling shoulders, in a reassuring way. It was one of the few times that he had done such a gesture. Tokio felt immediately better at his comforting contact. In the distance, police sirens could already be heard.

"I know, I'm being silly… It's just that in my dream…"

"I understand. You don't have to explain if you don't want to. Go inside the Aoiya, you'll feel better away from here. I'll talk with the cops."

"It's very nice of you but I'm already feeling better. I think that I'll stay here."

Aoshi looked proudly at his courageous sister. He smiled a bit and said, while releasing his embrace.

"Well then, I'll leave you with the cops for a while. I have to call Omasu to see if anything particular happened at the parent's house…"

Tokio smiled back and pushed her brother away. A minute passed and, finally, the police cars emerged in the street. They stopped right next to where she stood.

She looked at the cops who were quickly getting out of their cars and almost immediately spotted Saito. He spotted her back.

"You already know what you have to do… So get moving!" he barked, in the direction of his troops.

Then, he slowly began to walk toward her. He waited for a while before saying, almost reluctantly.

"So, Takagi… Do you have anything interesting for me?"

"Well, not really…" 

"How come, not really?"

"Well, I had fallen asleep in the restaurant, exhausted from my day of work. I woke up to get a glass of water. On my way there, I heard someone scream. So, I went to look by the window and… well, she…" said Tokio, hesitantly.

"Yes?"

"The girl was already dead. The murderer was gone. It looks like it was done by the same person than the other night." finished Aoshi, who was now standing behind her. 

"Is that so…" said Saito, pensively.

Then, without according them another glance, he walked toward the corpse and started examining it. Feeling better, Tokio forgot about the victim and observed him instead. He was so calm; he seemed to be fully in control of the situation. He was looking so damned good and was, after all, so hot in bed. Too bad he had ditched her two days ago… She could have enjoyed his presence a few times more before getting bored…

After talking a bit with some of his officers, he finally came back to see them.

"Yeah, once again, no one has seen anything. And it's true that both crimes look very alike. It could be the same murderer."

"Could be." simply said Aoshi.

"And your surveillance at the other girl's house?"

"Well, nothing weird has been reported so far. They are only getting ready for the funerals. A lot of friends came to offer them their condolences, but that is all. Everyone was at home tonight."

"Continue your work there anyway. We never know…"

"Okay."

"And, next time I find one of you near a crime scene, I'll add you to my suspects list."

Tokio blankly stared at him for a while, wondering if he had been kidding or not. How could he think that the Oniwabanshu would…?

"Your expression was really worth the joke, Takagi." said Saito, now almost fully enjoying the moment. 

On those words, he went back to his job. Aoshi pulled Tokio by the arm.

"There is nothing more we can do." he said.

She nodded and they both went back to the Aoiya.

***

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Almost July 2nd

An hour later, Tokio still couldn't get back to sleep. She was looking at what was happening outside. Even if an ambulance had just come to pick up the corpse, the third division was still busy.

As Aoshi had asked her, she went outside, carrying a coffee jar and a pile of coffee cups. Everyone looked at her gladly and thanked her. Except Saito. Not letting his attitude discourage her, she filled a cup and decided to bring it to him.

He was kneeling near the place where the body had been found, apparently looking for anything the murderer would have left behind. She kneeled right beside him.

"Take it. It's already late, you'll need it…"

"Thanks." he said.

He roughly took the cup off her hands without directly looking at her.

"You think that there are possibilities it is a serial killer?"

"Maybe. But it is too soon to jump to conclusions."

"Yes."

"It could be a copycat. Those things happen." continue Saito, weirdly feeling that he had to justify himself in front of that girl.

"They do happen, it's true."

He finally looked at her. Really look at her. She was dressed almost identically as the other night. Black skirt. White blouse. Probably the clothes she wore to work. Her hair was a bit messy; adding a touch of provocation to her already savage look.

Under his gaze, Tokio was beginning to feel aroused, again.

"It you're tired, you can come inside. If you want to." she started, suggestively.

At these words, Saito tensed, realising that this would lead him on a very slippery hill. No matter how much he felt attracted to her, he would stay true to his motto: never the same girl twice… 

"I'm not tired and I have work to do." he answered, sharply.

"If you say so…" said Tokio, a bit disappointed.

"I'll come back in a few days, to talk with Shinomori." he said as she was leaving.

"That's fine with me. I'll pass the word."

To be continued…

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To the reviewers

Special thanks to Wolf of Mibu, L. Sith, IceRain, C.G., Kamorgana, DustyFall and Firuze Khanume, who took the time to review this story. (^-^)

À la prochaine,

Mary-Ann


	4. According to the media

****

Disclaimer: I do not own, in any way, Rurouni Kenshin. Watsuki-sama does. I'm only borrowing his characters for a while.

Thanks to Kamorgana, for her wonderful advises on this story. ^-^ Thanks also to Firuze Khanume, whose judgement I trust. ^-^

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Chapter 4 – According to the media…

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July 5th, in the morning.

Tokio was, once again, lying lazily on the couch while her half-brother was silently filling a report. Only, it was with less casualness than it had been eleven days before.

Everyone was a bit tensed. The two crimes were very alike and had occurred at only at an interval of one week. Because of that, three days after the second murder, a considerable number of journalists were still assigned to the case. The affair had received a wide coverage as the media all hoped, for the good of their ratings, that the two crimes were related… They were waiting for the autopsy results with great anticipation.

Tokio and Aoshi were also waiting. Saito had said that he would come to talk with them in a few days. It had not occurred yet. In spite of that, Tokio was almost certain that the tall inspector would pay them a visit one day or another. She had seen enough of him to know that he always exactly did what he had announced, no matter what. He had too much self-discipline to act otherwise. But Aoshi was afraid that he might come too late. That the murders would already be solved and that the Oniwabanshu wouldn't even have the chance to help…

The Oniwabanshu's job at the parents' house was almost over. With no other assignments in sight, things didn't look very good for the spying organisation. It was even becoming hard to hide the truth to everyone…

Things hadn't improved during the last few days. Far from that. Tokio had checked the records. They were even more disastrous than before. After the murder of July 1st, the restaurant had been completely deserted for the first two days. People were a bit afraid to come into the neighbourhood. Very slowly, things were picking up again, but customers seemed to come only reluctantly, because they didn't really have another choice: they could only afford the Aoiya's cheap meals… 

All in all, the murder had totally cancelled the beneficial effects of the surveillance job and caused even more damages to the Oniwabanshu's already precarious finances.

Brother and sister went on living like as if nothing was wrong, but they both knew that things had to improve rapidly. They spent almost their entire days in Aoshi's office. From time to time, they would exchange a few words, but that was all. Knowing that her brother was truly worried, even if he didn't show it, Tokio had even stopped teasing him.

Deprived of her favourite hobby, Tokio was beginning to feel bored. She had been looking forward to the end of her work for the Aoiya, but now that it was over, she was starting to regret it. She wished that she could have escaped Aoshi's presence. Things were too tensed around here. But with no money to spend, going out of the building was out of the question. Aoshi had suggested that she took a walk, something inexpensive, but she had never been very athletic…

She knew that she should use this spare time to find a job. And, in this crazy world, a job for someone who had studied psychology shouldn't be so hard to get… She had enough diplomas to obtain a good job. Maybe even one where she wouldn't have to interact much with other people. And if a good salary could come with it, she wouldn't complain.

That way, she would also be able to help Aoshi. She would start paying for her own expenses and maybe do a little more than that. She was aware of the fact that it was very unfair that Aoshi was the only one paying for Misao's studies. She had been raised as well by the girl's grandfather. She didn't really like the idea of helping that noisy girl, but she felt like she had to. It was her duty.

She looked outside and sighed. Yes, finding a job was what she should do, but she was not really ready to put this plan into action. Another day, maybe… She was gazing out, not really aware of what she was blankly staring at, when she noticed a tall policeman coming their way. Hajime Saito had finally came to the Aoiya. 

"Aoshi…"

"Hum…?"

"Saito is coming this way…"

Aoshi raised his head from his work. His expression was still placid but Tokio could feel a touch of almost imperceptible touch of relief in his voice as he spoke the next words. 

"Could you go downstairs and bring him here before Nanami starts questioning him?"

Tokio simply nodded, knowing that it wasn't the right moment to discuss Nanami's perspicacity, which was close to zero in her opinion. She left the room as told and she emerged in the hall just as Saito entered the building. He didn't look too happy to see her, but he also looked resigned. He had obviously expected to find her here…

As Saito remained silent, Tokio told him.

"Inspector, my brother will be receiving you in his office, upstairs. If you would just follow me…"

Walking behind her, Saito couldn't help noticing that she was looking very different from the last two times they had met. She was wearing tight jeans and a tight black sleeveless shirt, revealing most of her perfect body's forms. Her hair was almost loose, as only a pin had been put, in a hurry, in the front to prevent her long tresses to fall back in her face. She looked less strict and formal than she did when working. She was definitely different from the more distinguished and feminine women he was used to meet. And all of this physically attracted him even more. As she unintentionally swayed her hips while walking, he tried to ignore every memory of their single night of passion that tried to resurface. Too much trouble. Not worth it.

"Here we are." said Tokio as she opened the door leading to Aoshi's office.

Saito got in. Both men looked at each other for a while and acknowledge each other's presence with a little head bow. Then, Saito took a seat, in front of the desk. It was a very uncomfortable wooden chair. It contrasted greatly with Aoshi's large leather armchair. Visibly, he was the one in charge here and wanted to remind it to everyone. But even with this, Saito still looked like the real boss…

Thinking that her presence was not really required, Tokio was about to leave when Aoshi stopped her.

"Tokio, I would like you to stay."

Surprised, she wondered what was going on in Aoshi's mind. But without any questioning, she obeyed and sat on another uncomfortable wooden chair. There probably were more files to fill. Or maybe he wanted her opinion. He had always trusted her judgement and since she had come back to live in Japan, the link between them was even stronger: they were both adults now. And, after all, it was true that she had followed the case closely, having almost been a witness of the two crimes. 

"So, Saito, what brings you here today?" finally asked Aoshi.

"We have some new developments on the case. Last night, we got the autopsy results from the lab."

"And?"

"Once again, the murderer left absolutely no trace on the body. Nothing. So, we can't really conclude that it's the same murderer, but also we can't really conclude that it's not the same one." 

"Tricky…" 

"Yes. But I tend to think that it's the same person. The two crimes look too much alike and, I don't think that there would be, in such a short lapse of time, two murderers wise enough not to leave any trace behind. It's rare to even find one, so…" said Saito, backing his words with a disdainful snort.

"I see."

Both men remained silent, thinking. They were fully aware of the difficulties lying ahead. Tokio looked at each one of them, wondering what their next actions would be.

"And who is the new victim?" finally asked Aoshi, breaking the silence.

"An eighteen years old girl. She dropped out of school last year. Her life has been very tumultuous since then. Tons of ex-boyfriends. She tended to regularly go in the bars, even if she was underage. She had fake ID cards. Who knows where she got them… She was not living with her parents anymore and had very few contacts with them. I think that they disagreed with the life she had chosen."

"With what you're telling me, now wonder that young girl was walking alone in the streets late at night…"

"Yes. That's true. "

"And is there any apparent link between her and the other girl?"

"No. Not at all. No common relations. Both were living in different districts and had very different lives. Except from the fact that both victims were women and were about the same age, nothing seems to link them."

"And…" said Aoshi pensively "If that was the link… If the killer was only seeking to kill young girls, without any good reason… That was seen in Kyoto, once."

"Yes, I know. But it's too soon to tell if that hypothesis is the right one. It's true that we found, so far, absolutely no motives for the killing of the first girl. But it's very likely that we will find one for the killing of the second girl. Her life was a real mess. A lot of people disliked her. And she had a lot of bad acquaintances. We have to investigate further before jumping to conclusions. We absolutely can't say that the murderer is killing only for the fun of it… And we are not even sure that it's the same murderer."

"Yes, of course."

"Talking about the first girl, you still don't have anything for me?" asked Saito.

"No. The parents' house was closely watched twenty-four hours a day for the last five days. And still, there is absolutely nothing."

"Yeah, I don't think that there ever will: it was just in case… Anyway, go on with your surveillance. I don't want to take any risk."

"Okay. Is there something else you would want us to do for you?" asked Aoshi.

Tokio looked at her brother's suave look. He really wanted another assignment. And she realised that she was wishing for the same thing.

"Yes."

Both brother and sister let out an almost imperceptible sigh of relief. 

"The second girl had three known boyfriends over the past four months. Here are their names and their address. Follow them night and day. I want to know everything about their whereabouts. Everything."

"Consider it done."

As Tokio began filling the papers, both men remained silent. Everything that needed to be said had been said. They didn't bothered starting a useless conversation. Saito signed the files and then informed them about the next actions.

"I'll contact you soon to know where you're at. If anything important happens, you know how to contact me."

"Yes."

"As everything is settled, I'll leave then…"

Tokio got up, to accompany him to the front door.

"No, it's not necessary. I know the way." said Saito, shortly. 

Brother and sister waited until they were sure that their guest was gone. Then, Tokio started talking.

"You have three different people to follow and a house to guard. And you have only four spies left. Plus you… You are going to overwork yourselves."

"We've been through worse than that."

"If you say so…"

"And besides, I have a charming sister to help me…"

"What? Is that why you asked me to stay?" exclaimed Tokio, disillusioned.

"Manager of the Aoiya and chief of the communications within the Oniwabanshu's network. Doesn't that sound good to your hears?"

"No." 

"You'll get used to the idea…"

***

__

July 5th, six o'clock in the evening

Tokio was still not used to the idea. She was fuming, smoking heavily in a corner of the office while Aoshi gathered his spy attire: a gun, just in case, bullets, a walkie-talkie to communicate with the other spies in case of emergency.

Even in her present state of mind, Tokio was paying close interest to what her half-brother was doing. She had seen him do this small routine hundred of times, but had never grown tired of it. It was always an exciting moment. 

This time wouldn't really be a challenge. Aoshi would only take Omasu's place for a while in front of the parents' house. He probably wouldn't witness anything important, as there were very few chances that any member of that family had ever done something reproachful in their whole life. Only the thought of seeing one of them use a bad word was laughable. But Tokio and Aoshi both felt a little frenzy anyway.

The six o'clock news was playing in the background. Nothing important was being said. The first report of the day was on how the particularly bad weather had affected the tourist industry this year. Journalists always made that kind of report once in a while, when they had nothing else to say.

Annoyed, Tokio was about to turn off the TV when a familiar figure appeared on the screen. Saito. Journalists were interviewing him. She raised the volume and both she and Aoshi listened closely to the report.

__

"Sir, apparently, the lab results showed that there might be a link between the two deaths. Is that true?"

__

"It didn't show that there was a link. But it didn't prove that there was none."

"Then, should we conclude that it is a serial killer?"

"No. It's way too soon to tell. The investigation…"

Saito's words were cut off and the journalist made his own comments.

"As police inspector Hajime Saito, officially in charge of the investigation, pointed out: there might be a link between the two deaths. In fact, as in both cases, a very young woman was murdered, we think that the population should be warned: young college students should be very careful… Let us remember what happened, a little more than ten years ago, when a murderer savagely killed many young women…" 

Shocked, Tokio abruptly turned the TV off.

"Did you see how they changed the truth? How they played around with Saito's words? And now, after only two deaths that can't be linked for sure, they are telling people that we are facing a serial killer murdering only young woman…?" asked Tokio with disbelief.

"I know. Journalists always enjoy a touch of sensationalism…"

"A touch of sensationalism… This is more than just a touch. You've heard him… And now, he is going to make the population panic." realistically said Tokio, shaking her head.

"Not many people really give credit to what journalists say."

"You'd be surprised… They know how to manipulate the public in order to get good ratings. I've seen tons of stories of this kind in a class I had taken a year ago. And now, this is going to interfere with the investigation. You'll see."

"Maybe…"

"If they had just respect what Saito had said. That man told them the truth. He knows is job and…" 

"Tokio…" Aoshi cut out.

"What?"

"You don't have to take that man's defence. We both saw the report." 

"Yes." she admitted regretfully.

"And besides, I think that you'll take that man's defence no matter what he says." 

"What…? How…?"

"You think that a spy would not even be aware of what's happening under his own roof?"

Tokio remained silent for a while. She had forgot her stepbrother's talent for nosing into others' private life…

"So now, if we add Saito, what is the count of your numerous love affairs?"

Tokio felt outraged at the comment. But after all the nagging she had done since her return, it was only normal that Aoshi finally found a way of taking revenge. As she stayed quiet, thinking about a way of regaining the upper hand, Aoshi slowly left the room to go to work.

"You'll regret this later… _romantic-boy_." muttered Tokio.

***

__

July 7th, early afternoon, two days later.

Tokio was trying to focus on her job at the Aoiya and chase any other thoughts away, but it was hard. She was constantly bombarded by news reports on the case. Not to be in rest and miss the scoop of the year, other journalists, on other channels, had soon repeated the theory, almost telling that it was the truth. Talk about journalism ethic…

And now, she couldn't read the newspaper in peace. Almost every page talked of that new case. Each title was shocking, to catch the reader's attention. She put disdainfully the newspaper aside, having already read and seen too much. For sure, people would start panicking. And there might not even be something to panic about.

Aoshi was back from his long work shift. He had tried to sleep a bit earlier on, but without much success. So now, he was glancing at the latest financial reports. In a few hours he would have to start working again. 

Finally, Aoshi sat beside her on the couch and they both remained silent, trying to forget all their current problems, just appreciating the other's presence. Only people who are real friends can stay together like that, saying absolutely nothing, without feeling uncomfortable. 

From time to time, noises from the restaurant's downstairs reached them, but they were used to it. They didn't really hear it anymore. Finally, coming back to reality, Tokio asked the question that had tormenting her lately.

"Aoshi… Do you really think that these work assignments can save our finances? Because, the way I see it, it's only a temporary measure…"

"I know. Hiring a few agents for surveillance doesn't pay much. Only a real partnership would really help us. If the investigation continues leading nowhere, as it seems to be the case, Saito may be tempted to offer us one."

"You still haven't found anything interesting about the three boyfriends?"

"Investigating about their life can be quite interesting. But it's not really useful. We have to search elsewhere."

"You think that the journalists may be right? Even if they prematurely announced it, you think that there might be a parcel of truth behind what they say?"

"The more I think about it, the more I see it as a serious option. It's really too soon to start frightening the population like that, but journalists are right about one thing: as long as we don't know for sure, young women should be careful."

For a while, Tokio found nothing to reply to that. Aoshi never stated anything if he didn't really mean it. And, in the domain of murder investigations, he was the expert. 

"You are worried about Misao?" she asked, finally catching the double meaning of the last words.

"She's impulsive and she is not really aware of the danger. You heard what she said the other day, after the first murder. She thinks that she can help. She has always wanted to be an Oniwabanshu member. We should double-check her intentions and her whereabouts…"

"But you can't really do it: you are almost constantly on duty."

"I can't, that's true. So, would you mind paying her almost daily visits? Only until we learn more about this case."

Tokio sighed before silently giving her accord. Another unpleasant task was being added to the already long list. And, as far as she knew, the case was still far from being solved.

To be continued

__

To the reviewers:

Special thanks to Gaby (hyatt, Aiteane, Wolf of Mibu, Shinichi Dori-chan, DustyFall, Kamorgana, Ouatic7, IceRain, Badgerturtle, L. Sith and JadeGoddess, who took the time to review this story. (^-^)

À la prochaine,

Mary-Ann


	5. Past and present

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Disclaimer: I do not own, in any way, Rurouni Kenshin. Watsuki-sama does. I'm only borrowing his characters for a while.

Thanks to Kamorgana and Firuze for the comments and corrections. Your help and your kind words mean a lot to me. (^-^)

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****

Chapter 5 – Past and present

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__

July 7th, in the evening.

Tokio drove Aoshi's car out of the Aoiya's small parking lot. By chance, she could use his car to pay her first visit at the _Kyoto College for Girls'_ dormitory. She would probably not be so lucky next time…

She didn't really wish to go see Misao, but she had given her word. She drove in silence, pondering all that had went wrong since she had come back to live in Japan. If it hadn't been for the little encounter with the tall police inspector, her few weeks at the Aoiya would have been almost totally unpleasant.

"Here I am." mumbled Tokio, as she parked the car near the college's dormitory.

She picked up the few items that Misao had requested a while ago: a few books and clothes she had left behind during the last holidays. She then got out of the car and looked reluctantly at the tall building. Having to face Misao was not the only thing she loathed about this new task: years ago, she had wished to erase every single memory of this place…

She had attended this college, almost ten years ago. Seeing everything here reminded her that inglorious past: the embarrassing memories of her behaving like a foolish teenager. Back then, still inexperienced in life, each humiliation that necessarily comes with every teenager's life had affected her very much. She had changed since then, she thought, a smirk crossing her features. From the fragile young girl, she had slowly, after each disappointing rejection, evolved into the anti-social, lazy, strong-minded and selfish person she was now.

Aoshi often said that these past experiences were why she had never seriously considered committing herself to anyone. Running away before developing any real feelings that might hurt her again. Being the aggressive one, by fear of being first looked upon. And particularly disliking everything or anyone that reminded her of the past.

Tokio knew that he was probably right. She couldn't really deceive herself about those facts. But she also knew that her evolution could not simply be summed up like this. She knew that she had not developed this personality only as a way of protecting herself. It had always been part of her. Her education had told her to ignore those very unwomanly character traits, but after having realised that playing the perfect well-behaved and gentle girl gave you nothing but condescension and sufferings, she had freed her darker side until it had completely took control. 

And now, she was proud of the person she had become. People didn't like her, but she didn't care. They respected her: that was all that truly mattered. 

She stopped looking at the building, realising that her past could not reach her anymore. She had moved on. No arrogant teenage girl would try to humiliate her now. And if it was ever the case, she had enough experience in arguing and teasing to have the final word…

Tokio walked in, got registered at the front desk, and she looked once more at the small piece of paper on which she had written Misao's room number. Once inside the elevator, she pressed the right button and, as the door closed, she sighed. This was it. 

She quickly found the room and knocked. As she received answer other than the sound of music, she knocked harder this time, beginning to be pissed off. Finally, the music stopped and she heard some footsteps. The door got opened, revealing Misao. 

"I've brought you the things you asked for." said Tokio, before Misao could even react to this unexpected visit.

"Aoshi didn't come in person to give them to me?" she asked, clearly disappointed that it was not the case. 

"No. Sorry. He's working hard these days. You'll have to content yourself with my presence." Tokio mockingly answered.

"An assignment…?" discretely asked Misao, knowing that everyone on the floor was probably listening.

"Yes. Not a big one though…"

After a slight pause, Tokio, who had tried to remain calm during the whole exchange, finally burst out and asked.

"Will you ever let me come in? This stuff is heavy, you know!"

Misao frowned, but moved aside. Tokio took a step forward, looked around and froze. The room was a real mess…

"Do you ever clean this place?" exclaimed Tokio, a bit discouraged.

"Yes… but not very often. " 

"That's what I thought…" muttered Tokio, putting down the luggage on the last spot available one the floor.

Tokio didn't like this kind of place. Creepy. Everything seemed wrong. She wondered how the rigorous and precise Aoshi could have fall for that messy, messy girl. 

"So… What are you doing right now?" clumsily asked Tokio on a fake amiable tone, trying to retrieve the information Aoshi wanted.

"Why do you bother asking? You don't like me don't you?" Misao reply, looking somewhat heart-broken.

Tokio stared at her for a while. Yes Aoshi was right. The girl was clever. Loud, but clever. A little too emotional, but clever. After a heavy silence, Tokio said.

"It's not that I don't like you. It's just that you're young and you still have to learn a couple of things before being the grown up I would _maybe_ appreciate." 

It was the truth. It was said crudely, without much regard, but Tokio felt that Misao would appreciate her honesty. As the younger girl remained silent, Tokio went on.

"Anyway, that wasn't the point of my visit. Aoshi just asked me to check on how you were doing. With what happened lately, we are never too careful… " 

"I can take care of myself, you know… Last year, Aoshi even started showing me some Oniwabanshu's techniques."

"I'm aware of that. But you are also a bit too overconfident." Tokio answered mater-of-factly, as she understood that it would probably take more than words to convince Misao. 

She never knew for sure what Misao would have answer to that, as Kaoru came in the room to chat a bit about the latest developments of her relation with Kenshin Himura.

Tokio horrifyingly looked at the two girls as she faced everything she despised the most: young noisy messy girls giggling and chatting over a romance. She swiftly turned around, before suffering from overexposure, and headed toward the building's exit. According to Aoshi's instructions, she was supposed to come back soon. But he had said _almost daily visits_. That could be open to interpretation…

***

July 10th, three days later 

As it was the middle of the afternoon, the restaurant was empty, however Tokio was busily accomplishing her tasks in Aoshi's office. Her half-brother was once again working and she was wondering how he could go on like this and not suffer from serious sleep deprivation. 

From time to time, Tokio pushed her work aside, to ponder their financial situation. She was wondering if all of this necessarily had to end up in bankruptcy. Something could probably be done. But what? She had gone through this more than once, had found nothing and didn't really felt like searching again.

No tables could be added without seriously affecting the customers' state of comfort. The prices couldn't be raised. She had realised that only alcoholic beverage sales could maybe help. They could have tried to promote them, but by doing so, they would loose their family restaurant status and become more like a bar. Something Aoshi would not appreciate as he profoundly disliked alcohol. Their mother had profusely abused the substance after Aoshi's father death and before committing suicide.

Beside that undesirable solution, it seemed that nothing could be done. That was why Tokio simply went on doing her job and sighed each time that she paid another bill. She didn't like this task: it was only reminding her how desperate their case was. She wondered how Aoshi had been able to deal with this every day. Rubbing her temples, she tried to focus on the work and forget about its meaning. It worked for a while. But her concentration was soon disrupted when someone came in the office. Displeased, she raised her head only to realise that Hajime Saito was standing right in front of her. His face was void of emotion, but Tokio had the feeling that he didn't enjoy finding her alone. 

"Your brother is not here? The girl downstairs had told me that the manager was in his office…" he asked, finally.

"The girl was right. I'm the one in charge, when Aoshi is absent."

"So, I'd better go and come back another day."

"No, no. Sit down. Aoshi won't be back anytime soon. I have barely seen him lately. So, I'm also in charge of the communications. That's why I assisted to all the discussions you had so far."

Tokio observed Saito while he shortly deliberated. She was glad that he had come. She was getting bored and needed a distraction. And the sexy police inspector that attracted her so much could definitely be called a nice distraction. Too bad he didn't really want to get physically involved with her anymore. There was so much they could have done instead of discussing business… Just to think of it made her feel aroused again. 

Having made up his mind, Saito finally sat on the other side of the desk.

"So? What brings you here, inspector?" she said, teasing him by using her sexiest tone of voice.

"Well, I was just coming to check if your group had found out something." he answered coldly.

Disappointed, Tokio momentarily pushed her sexual urges aside and said, on a sharp tone. 

"Sorry, but the answer to that question is no. The three boyfriends have been followed twenty-four hours a day. None of them escaped our constant watch. During all that time, nothing unusual happened. They only went on doing their usual errands. They do not seem affected at all by the girl's death, which is a clear lack of compassion. But, then again, none of her love affairs had been really serious…" 

"And at the parent's house?"

"The usual… Except from the fact that they went to the funerals. One of our men followed them there while another one stayed behind, at the house. But there was nothing important to report. Weeping, sobbing and the _she was such a nice and good girl_ usual crap." 

Saito didn't immediately answer to that. He leaned back in his wooden chair and lit a cigarette. After a long while, he finally said.

"Going to the funerals was clever. Shinomori's idea, I suspect… What does he really think about the case?"

"That we are searching in the wrong direction. That we are wasting time following the wrong persons. Of course, it's only an intuition…"

"Of course. I also had it from the start, but we can't eliminate options before being absolutely certain that they lead nowhere…"

"So what do you propose in the meantime?"

"Continue the work you began. Hopefully enough, it will help us eliminate some suspects. But also, as the investigation will probably last longer than what everyone first thought, I propose that we use an alternative to our actual communication system."

"Why? What kind of alternative?"

"Telephone lines are often taped and e-mails systems can't really be trusted. You can't seriously think of using those technologies if you have important or private business to discuss. And I can't come all the way here each time I have something to tell you. So, I thought of something better, but I still need to settle some details before it can be concretised…" 

"Oh! I see. And when are those details going to be settle?"

"As soon as I have Kondo's accord and that all the papers are correctly filled, which should be in a few days. I'll give you more details then."

Saito took a deep drag out of his cigarette and looked at Tokio, while she lit one for herself. He was impressed at how she had managed business until now. Most people would not have been able to stand his questioning and his menacing stares, but she seemed almost unmoved by his attitude. The more he was being unfriendly, the more he felt that the woman respected him and enjoyed his presence. And that made him feel respect and appreciation for her. Which wasn't a good thing. Neither a thing he was used to.

Tokio was staring back at him with growing interest. From the very beginning she felt a kind of odd appreciation for the man. She liked people who frankly told their opinion and who did not bother being overly nice. Strength, courage and straightforwardness: as far as she knew, all the things she liked in others were gathered into one single human being. That was what had attracted her to him at first. And that was what still attracted her. Even more than his good looks. 

Finally, Saito told her.

"I have another request for Shinomori."

"Yes…?" asked Tokio, fearing that the Oniwabanshu's already full agenda might not be able to absorb this new demand.

"The investigation on the first murder is not going anywhere. With the second one, it's different. We discover new possible avenues each day. So, we keep asking questions around. That is how we discovered that everywhere she went, the girl had quite a number of unpaid bills."

"And…?"

"She was not the only one with unpaid bills. Her boyfriends had quite an history in that domain too."

"It's a requirement to be allowed in her bed?"

"I would say that the problem is more drugs."

"Oh… I see." 

"The girl and her boyfriends were known as regular clients of the local drug dealers. This led to indebtedness. We recently had information about the fact that drug dealers offer crappy deals to some clients having money problems… Many people were trapped lately in them. It is also said that getting out of them is practically impossible."

"The girl was trapped in such a deal?"

"That's what rumours says. So, we figured out that if the girl did not fulfil her part of the deal, it might have caused her some _inconveniences_. As the boyfriends might have been in a similar situation and as they might be held partially responsible for the girl's still unpaid debts, we thought that they might also experience, sooner or later, some trouble."

"That's a possibility."

"Yes. So, I got the pictures of all the known drug dealers around, and also an information file on each of them. If one of your spies ever sees one of these men near any of the three boyfriends, I want to be immediately told."

Saito took the envelope he had brought along with him, opened it and took the pile of documents. Realising that he was going to show her some of the stuff he kept in there, Tokio put her cigarette in the ashtray, got up and went to sit right beside him.

"You see… You have the name of the dealer, his address, his physical description, his picture, his actual business location and his antecedents. Plus, the state of his relation with the other drug dealers within the local group."

Tokio gave a distracted look at the document, not really caring. That wasn't part of her job. Aoshi would take care of that. She had already done more than her share and she was beginning to grow tired of this role.

As Saito went through a few pages, Tokio didn't bother listening or didn't even tried to seem interested. She was looking at him instead. At his thin lips moving. At his strong hands holding the document. Her mind was beginning to wander in known territory, once again, when a question suddenly popped in her mind. 

"And, if you know all of those things about the drug dealers, why don't you simply arrest them?"

Saito frowned. Everyone inexperienced in police matters always seemed to ask that question. But it was a good one. He put the document on the desk and looked directly in Tokio's eyes before answering.

"Local drug dealers are nothing but pawns. They decide nothing, they follow orders and they know nothing of what is going on in the higher ranks of their organisation. That's why, unless a huge mistake is committed, they can't help us arrest the real mastermind: Kanryu Takeda. And, if we suppress one drug dealer, another will just immediately pop out. You can't get rid of them, so better use the known ones to eventually try to get at the boss."

He had finished talking, but realising that he was still staring at her, Tokio raised an eyebrow.

He did not answer, knowing too well why he had started this. Her pretty face and the line of her neck were totally responsible. Since the discussion had started, he had felt like staring at her like that, but had managed to ignore this strange impulse. But now, she was so near and her face was only inches away from his. It had become harder to forget that foolish need.

Even if he didn't like it at all, he didn't feel like breaking the stare. It was rare that anyone dared to look at him that directly. He wanted to know how long she was going to last. He was wishing to see her willpower break, to realise that she was only an ordinary woman. One among others and that there was no special reason for him to continue feeling attraction toward her. 

But Tokio was not ready to break the eye contact. The more she looked into those strange amber eyes, the more she felt fascinated by what she could read. She could see the defiant look he gave her, telling her that she wouldn't last long. That she was too weak for him. But she could also read the attraction he hid behind those wishes. And that almost imperceptible invitation gave her the will to tempt him, once again. Slowly almost imperceptibly, she leaned forward. As her hand finally reached out to trace the line of his jaw, she left her seat and sat down on his lap, facing him. 

Saito tensed, but he didn't break the stare. Unlike his body, his mind was not totally ready for this turn of events. He had hoped to see her break, but instead, she was going forward. A little too forward for his taste.

As her other hand joined the teasing game and began to unbutton his jacket, she whispered in his ear.

"You see, you can stay true to your word: you don't even have to call me back…"

Saito wished to stop this right now and get out of the office without further delay. He knew that this girl was nothing but trouble. He had already felt it after their previous encounter, but now he was sure of it. He should have left when he had noticed that she was alone. He should have found another way of contacting Shinomori. Yes he should have. And he could still stop this non-sense. But his body didn't obey his command. He only stared back at her while she now unbuttoned his shirt.

He closed his eyes as Tokio's hands finally met the bare skin of his torso. His mind was close to surrendering as well. Just as his hand automatically began to reach for the girl's hips, fortunately enough for him, his cell phone rang loudly, bringing him back to reality. 

He quickly picked it up and answered.

"Inspector Hajime Saito here."

Tokio stilled and tried to catch the conversation's main topic, but Saito only said a yes or a no from time to time. After a while, she began to feel annoyed by this interruption and began reaching for his body again. Saito's free hand prevented her from doing so as he caught her wrist. The very unpleasant look he gave her, made her realise that her projects might be postponed…

She got up as he ended the conversation. She patiently waited for an explanation, while he arranged his clothes. Finally, he gave it.

"There is a new murder. Could you contact everyone in your network to see if anything happened lately?"

"Sure."

She did as told, while he waited for her answer. As she hung up the phone for the last time, she shook her head and told him.

"Nothing happened."

"It would have been too simple, I guess… I'll have to start a new investigation at the _Kyoto's College for Girls_ then…"

"The what?" almost yelled Tokio, taken aback.

"The _Kyoto's College for Girls_. One of their student, still unidentified, was murdered less than fifteen minutes ago on the campus."

If anything had happened to Misao, Tokio was in real trouble… She had been supposedly watching after her. A thing she had not really done lately…

"I'm coming with you."

To be continued

__

To the reviewers:

Special thanks to Gaby (hyatt, Eeevee, JadeGoddess, Wolf of Mibu, Kamorgana and L. Sith, who took the time to review this story. (^-^)

À la prochaine,

Mary-Ann


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